Durban Declaration on REDD Durban, South Africa September 9, 2015 We, local communities, peasants movements, Indigenous Peoples and civil society organizations from Africa and all over the world, call upon the United Nations, the World Forestry Congress, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank and states to reject top-down forms of development, including false solutions to climate change and forest and biodiversity conservation that only serve the dominant market economy. We are united to oppose and reject the commodification, privatization and plunder of Nature, which include REDD+1 and other market-based mechanisms including biodiversity and conservation offsets that put profit above the well being of humanity and the planet. These mechanisms include the “financialization of nature,” which commodifies, separates and quantifies the Earth’s cycles and functions of carbon, water, forest, fauna and biodiversity – turning them into “units” to be sold in financial and speculative markets. However, Mother Earth is the source of Life, which needs to be protected, not a resource to be exploited and commodified as a ‘natural capital.’ REDD+ is also the pillar of the Green Economy. REDD+ is being misleadingly billed as saving the world’s forests and climate and is the anticipated main outcome of the UN’s Paris Accord on climate change in December 2015. In addition, REDD+ is a false solution to climate change that is already including forests, plantations and agriculture in the carbon market. Reports show that deforestation and the related emissions continue, and that REDD+, instead of reducing them, is harming and vilifying forest-dependent communities and those who produce the majority of the world's food – small scale farmers. Furthermore, • • • • • • • •
REDD+ promotes monoculture tree plantations and genetically modified trees REDD+ increases land grabs and human rights violations REDD+ restricts access to forests, threatening livelihoods and cultural practices REDD+ causes violence against peasants, Indigenous Peoples, women and forest-dwelling communities REDD+ is combined with other offsets including payment for environmental services (PES) REDD+ imposes market driven neo-liberalism on forests, which undermines and monetizes community conservation and social/cultural processes and creates inequalities REDD+ projects tend to force subsistence communities into the cash economy and exploitative wage-labor REDD+ hinders and prevents much needed policies that support endogenous, bio-cultural approaches to biodiversity conservation and restoration.
Therefore, we join with the No REDD in Africa Network and the Global Alliance against REDD to demand that governments, the United Nations and financial institutions stop the disastrous REDD+ experiment and finally start addressing the underlying causes of forest loss and climate change! Put forward by the No REDD in Africa Network (NRAN) and the Global Alliance Against REDD, with endorsement and support by the following. To be presented to the World Forest Congress 2015, the UNFCCC COP21 and beyond: 1
REDD ( Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) is a global initiative to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests and all other ecosystems to compensate governments and companies or owners of forests and agriculture in developing countries not to cut their forests or to reduce their rate of deforestation and forest degradation as a market mechanism to avoid GHG emissions. REDD+ expands REDD to develop methods for carbon sequestration through conservation of forest (and wetlands, agricultural systems) carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.
Organizations: 1. No REDD in Africa Network 2. Global Alliance Against REDD 3. Indigenous Environmental Network 4. JA!/Justica Ambiental - Friends of the Earth Mozambique 5. All India Forum of Forest Movements/India 6. Carbon Trade Watch 7. CENSAT Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth Colombia 8. Womin (Womens in Mining) 9. Foundation Help/Tanzania 10.Centre for Civil Society/University of KwaZulu-Natal,Durban 11.Democratic Left Front 12.Health of Mother Earth Foundation- Nigeria 13.Fundaexpresion – Colombia 14.Vasundhara- India 15.SRDS Subdarban -India 16.Envirocare-Tanzania 17.COECOCEIBA - FoE Costa Rica 18.The Development Institute – Ghana 19.Censat Agua Viva - Amigos da Terra Colombia 20.Afrikagrupperna , Sweeden 21.Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (US) 22.Just Transition Alliance, United States 23.Border Agricultural Workers Project Border, El Paso, Texas 24.The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 25.Hasan Mehedi 26.CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network) 27.Khulna, Bangladesh 28.ETC group (international) 29.Oakland Institute, USA 30.Community Alliance for Global Justice, Seattle WA 31.Family Farm Defenders 32.Indian Social Action Forum - INSAF 33.All India Union of Forest Working People AIUFWP 34.WILPF US Section, Boston MA 35.Geasphere 36.Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO) 37.Indigenous Perspectives-India 38.Global Justice Ecology ProjectAnuradha Mittal, 39.Hasan Mehedi 40.CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network) 41.Khulna, Bangladesh 42.Biowatch South Africa. 43.Timberwatch 44.Ashok Choudhary, General Secretary, All India Union of Forest Working People AIUFWP 45.Focus on the Global South 46.The Corner House (UK) 47.Friends of the Earth International 48.PLANT (Partners for the Land & Agricultural Needs of Traditional Peoples) 49.Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria 50.Attac France
51.FoE France 52.Andrey Laletin, Chairman, 53.Friends of the Siberian Forests,Russia. 54.Indigenous Perspectives-India 55.EcoNexus UK 56.Biofuelwatch 57.Maendeleo Endelevu Action Program (MEAP) 58.Fundación Solon 59. WRM (World Rainforest Movement) 60.Groundwork 61.FOEAfrica 62.TCOE ( Trust for Community Outreach and Education) South Africa. 63.Rural Women’s Assembly (Southern Africa) 64. People's’s DialogueInternational 65.Development Exchange (IDEX) 66.Marea Creciente Mexico - Rising Tide Mexico 67.Marea Creciente Ecuador - Rising Tide Ecuador 68.Caravana Climatica por America Latina 69.Center for Earth Jurisprudence 70.Other Worlds (USA) 71.Finnish Asiatic Society Soil Generation,of Philadelphia, Pa
Individuals: 1. Peter Newell, Professor of International Relations, University of Sussex UK 2. Pascoe Sabido,Researcher and Campaigner 3. Dr. Michael K Dorsey 4. Ruben Solis, University Sin fronteras, San Antonio Tx and Atlanta Georgia-USA 5. Reynaldo padilla (Puerto Rico-San Juan)Caribbean Institue of Social Movements 6. Michelle Pressend, South Africa. 7. Brian Tokar, Institute for Social Ecology (Vermont USA) 8. Elizabeth Henderson, organic farmer – Peacework Organic CSA, New York USA 9. Leon Spencer, former Executive Director, Washington Office on Africa. 10.Joshua Dimon, researcher 11.Peter Steudtner, Germany, 12.Lucia Jofrice, Moçambique 13.Kirtrina Baxter. USA 14.Jim Kirkwood, Africafiles 15.Cristian Guerrero- Quito, Ecuador 16.Ruth Nyambura, Kenya 17.Boaventura Monjane, Moçambique
Signatures are open until November 30, 2015.